Dispenser for dental alloys and mercury



June 26, 1962 D. WEINER DISPENSER FOR DENTAL ALLOYS AND MERCURY 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 25, 1960 1w TOR. BY J AL 1% FIG.

June 26, 1962 D. WEINER 3,040,934

DISPENSER FOR DENTAL ALLOYS AND MERCURY Filed April 25, 1960 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INV NTOR.

BY fwvuf United States Patent 3,040,934 DISFENSER FQR DENTAL ALLOYS ANDMERCURY David Weiner, 2102 Napile Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. Filed Apr. 25,1%il, Ser. No. 24,371 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-137 The object of the presentinvention is to provide an improved device, primarily for use bydentists, in dispensing measured silver alloy and mercury, which, whencombined, form amalgam for tooth-filling purposes. The invention alsohas utility in other fields.

The device employs a multi-stack holder for silver alloy pellets bywhich one or more stacks may be composed of pellets of one thickness andweight, while one or more of the remaining stack may be of pellets oflesser or greater thickness and weight. Means are provided to supportthe stack holder and to enable manual adjustment of the holder andthereby selective registration of each stack with a discharge portcontrolled by a plunger. Means at the discharge port and plungercompensating for different thicknesses of pellets are provided, andfurther objects of the invention will be hereinafter described Withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a composite view in perspective showing from the front, anembodiment of the invention, with the stack holder ready for insertion.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation, partly broken away, showing a modifiedstack holder.

FIG. 3 is a View in front elevation of the assembled device, certainparts being shown broken away.

FIG. 4 is a vertical section on the line 44, FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section showing an intermediate part ofFIG. 4 enlarged, the plunger being in full inner position.

FIG. 6 is a View similar to that of the preceding figure, but with theplunger fully retracted.

FIG. 7 is a detail view in plan and broken away to show the mercurycontrol-pin gauge.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown at 1 a base member formed with akey-channel at 2, to slidingly receive opposed flanges of a stack-holder3 for a receptacle 4 within which are a plurality of stacks of metallicalloy pellets 5. On a horizontal front position of base 1 are aplurality of registration holes 1 (FIG. 1), for selective registrationwith a latch pin 6 carried by a spring fingerpiece 7 on stack holder 3.

At right angles to key-channel 2, is a slideway at 8 which receives aplunger 9, engaged by a spring 10. At channel 2 the slideway is open toexpose the top of plunger 9 and hence a pellet-receiving opening at 11therein.

By adjusting the stack holder, with its plural stack receptacle, to adesired position, in accordance with the thickness and hence volume ofpellets in one of the stacks, repeated dispensing of said pellets can beeffected by pushing the plunger inwardly to the position of FIG. 5, eachtime with a gravity fed pellet in the pellet receiving opening 11 of theplunger, whereupon the pellet will fall through a discharge opening at12 in base 1.

To compensate for pellets of different thicknesses, the base member 1 isformed with a threaded aperture to receive screw 15, the latter having ahandle 16. Inasmuch as the pellets are usually of two differentthicknesses, the screw can be so threaded that when the handle is turnedfully in one direction, as against a stop (not shown) the screw will bemoved up to enable the plunger to receive a pellet of minor thicknesswithout jamming of the plunger by dropping, part way, of an overlyingpellet. Thus, turning of the handle fully in the opposite direction willcause the screw to descend to normal position.

At 17 is a box for mercury, having a cap 18, and an outlet at 19 whichwill communicate with a receiving orifice at 20 in the plunger, when thelatter is moved inwardly to receive and discharge a pellet. Mercury inthe box is indicated at M.

At 13 is an adjusting threaded stem for the mercury outlet, which may beused in conjunction with a gauge indicator shown at 14.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made in the formand arrangement of the elements shown in the illustrated embodiment,without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I desire and claim to secure byLetters Patent is as follows:

1. A dispenser for dental alloys and mercury, consisting of a basemember, a reservoir for mercury supported by said base member andprovided with an outlet, a guide Way in said base member and extendinglongitudinally of the base member, a second guideway in said base memberand extending transversely of the first guideway, a plunger movablelongitudinally of said first guideway and movable to close said mercuryoutlet when in one position, and to uncover the outlet in-anotherposition, a holder for a plurality of stacks of metal alloy pelletsmovable longitudinally in said second guideway, said holder being openat its base, said plunger having a receiving passageway for a pellet,and the base member having a discharge passageway for mercury from saidreservoir, and for pellets from the stacks of pellets carried by saidstack holder, and means for registration of each of a plurality ofstacks of pellets of the stack holder with the receiving passageway ofsaid plunger.

2. A dispenser for dental alloys and. mercury constructed in accordancewith claim 1, in combination with a member adapted to be projected intothe pellet receiv ing passageway, the plunger being formed with aclearance for said member, and means for moving said member into and outof the said pellet passageway.

3. A dispenser for dental alloys and mercury constructed in accordancewith claim 1, in combination with means for controlling the pelletreceiving depth of the passageway in the plunger and for controlling thedistance of movement of the plunger in its action to uncover the outletof the mercury reservoir, and consisting of a post-like member adaptedto be entered into and out of the pellet receiving passageway, theplunger being formed with a clearance, and with a shoulder at one end ofsaid clearance, for engaging the post-like member when the plunger ismoved to a position uncovering the mercury outlet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS GreatBritain Sept. 19, 1956

